Tom Hogan, the public defender representing Sims Jordan, said he is trying to delay his client's inevitable extradition until he finds a California attorney willing to defend her.

''She doesn't have much money -- that's a problem,'' Hogan said.

Sims Jordan allegedly poisoned Larry McNabney in a Southern California hotel in September, drove the dying man home to Woodbridge and kept his wrapped body in a refrigerator for several months. Sims Jordan, according to her own three-page, handwritten statement, then buried McNabney in the vineyard alone.

McNabney's body was discovered Feb. 5.

Sims Jordan faces charges of murder with the special circumstances of murder for financial gain and murder by poison, and accessory to murder.

Sarah Dutra, a 21-year-old college student who worked as a secretary at McNabney's Sacramento law office, also has been charged in connection with McNabney's murder.

Though California authorities say Sims Jordan disappeared in January with as much as $500,000 she raised by selling off her late husband's truck, horses and other possessions, she was working part-time jobs by the time of her arrest last week.

"We know that she liquidated some of his assets, and we know she had access to accounts that had hundreds of thousands of dollars," said Nelida Stone, San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman. "Whether she has that money on her or has liquidated these accounts is uncertain until we dissect the whole financial situation."

"We have requested the assistance of the Department of Justice with their financial experts. This is such a big case, we want to dissect every asset, every account, every box, everything there is in order to account for all the money."

That leaves Hogan searching for a California lawyer willing to take on what he described as an interesting, high-profile case with several possible defenses.

For instance, Hogan said, he spoke with attorney Gerry Spence, who wrote a book about the O.J. Simpson trial, but Spence was unavailable to take the case.

Stone said the Sheriff's Office is working with Gov. Gray Davis' office and the Florida court to arrange the necessary paperwork for an arrest warrant to be issued by the governor. The paperwork is expected to be filed today.

"We're not anticipating her being gone very long," Stone said. "We hope that with the governor's warrant it could take a maximum of 30 days. But we're hoping to get her here sooner and prosecute her for murder.

"She's coming back, whether it takes us a week or four weeks."

Until then, she is being held without bond in Spring Hill.

Sims Jordan was arrested last week in Destin and taken to Hernando County in the Tampa Bay area to face outstanding warrants related to burglary and credit card fraud charges from almost 10 years ago. However, Hernando and two other Florida counties with similar warrants dropped their charges to speed Sims Jordan's return to California, Assistant States Attorney Bill Catto said.

Sims Jordan is set for a June 18 extradition hearing, but ''it's never going to go that long'' before the California warrant arrives, Hogan said. If it reaches a hearing, Sims Jordan would have to prove she is not the person named on the warrant or that her constitutional rights would be violated if she were returned to California.

Tuesday's hearing was over in a moment after Hogan refused extradition on his client's behalf. Sims Jordan monitored the proceedings by video in her jail cell.

Dutra, an art major at California State University, Sacramento, is expected to return to court April 3 for the continuation of her arraignment. She faces the same charges as Sims Jordan.